Latest Mining & Infrastructure News in Australia

Exploration still works, but getting to the first drill hole now takes longer, costs more, and tests patience before the rocks ever do

The mining industry is not running out of deposits.

By Jamie Wade on March 30, 2026
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Stakeholder Communication, Workforce, Training and Development, Employee Retention, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Exploration, Geological exploration and resource modelling, Exploration technologies and methodologies
Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, North America, United States, Nevada, Canada, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Africa, Botswana
Precious Metals, Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Strategic Minerals, Lithium

From star power to subsurface smarts, next-gen tech is helping explorers drill less, discover more, and finally see what’s really beneath their feet

As the global mining industry continues to adapt to shifting expectations around productivity, sustainability, and cost-efficiency, exploration remains one of the most critical—and complex—phases in the mining life cycle.

Gold fever, tin whispers and rare earth reality checks

If you wanted a temperature check on Western Australia’s exploration sector last week, you didn’t need a feasibility study.

Why the same gold deposit can sparkle in Australia but merely shimmer in China as study reveals how valuation rules reshape what a mine is truly worth

If gold is the world’s most universal currency, it’s also one of its most misunderstood.

Brazil beats WA as PLS boss warns mining crowd Australia risks losing its lithium edge despite record output and global expansion

When PLS chief executive Dale Henderson told the WA Mining Club’s November luncheon that it’s “easier to get things done in Brazil than in Western Australia,” the room went quiet for a moment.

Smart rocks and sharper minds how Australia’s data-driven explorers are redefining rare earth and vanadium discovery for the clean energy future

If you thought mining was all about brute force and big rigs, think again.

Vanadium steps into the spotlight as Queensland’s Lindfield Project fuels Australia’s clean energy charge with geology logistics and battery power to match

When it comes to the energy transition, not all batteries come wrapped in lithium.

Data reveals what drilling can’t: How Geoscience Australia is mapping the hidden rare earth riches buried beneath Australia’s ancient landscapes

It’s not often a map redraws itself — but that’s exactly what’s happening to Australia’s rare earths landscape.

From data to drill rigs: how Jupiter became Australia’s biggest clay rare earth discovery and a model for finding the next generation of critical minerals

When a geologist looks at a gravity anomaly and sees the future of Australia’s critical minerals, it’s worth paying attention.

When dirt looks the same data decides how geochemistry and machine learning are revealing hidden rare earth riches beneath Western Australia’s surface

If you think spotting a rare earth deposit is tough, try identifying one when it looks exactly like barren dirt.